Electric circuit breaker



Feb. 2, 1943. H. KOR NDORFE R ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed July 10,1941 Inve htor: Hu bert Korndorfer,

by 35 C: .JMMZM H i g Attorneg.

Patented Feb. 2, 1943 ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER Hubert Korndiirfer,Berlin, Germany, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation ofNew York Application July 10, 1941, Serial No. 401,784 In Germany July1, 1940 5 Claims.

My invention relates to an electric circuit breaker and moreparticularly to an electric circuit breaker of the fluid blast typewherein a blast of fluid, such as air, is utilized as the interruptingmedium.

Circuit breakers have been constructed heretofore in which an arc isdrawn between two interrupting heads so as to expose the arc to blastsof fluid from two different points. Such an arrangement is disclosed inFig. 2, for example, of United States Letters Patent 2,084,885, grantedJune 22, 1937, upon an application of Joseph Biermanns, and assigned tothe same assignee as the present application. It has also been suggestedto provide an electric circuit breaker with a plurality of interruptingheads which could be mounted at the ends of a forked insulator in whichcase again the arc is exposed to blasts from a plurality of points.

It is an object of my invention to provide an electric circuit breakerin which the arc drawn therein is exposed to several blasts of fluidfrom different points and which requires fewer interrupting heads thanwas required in heretofore known arrangements.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improvedinterrupting head for an electric circuit breaker.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds and the features of novelty whichcharacterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram partly insection of the interrupting heads of an electric circuit breakerembodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram partly insection of an electric circuit breaker employing the interrupting headsof Fig. 1.

In order to permit a saving of supporting insulators or supporting arms,I have provided an interrupting head I which, as will be described ingreater detail hereinafter, is constructed so as to provide a pluralityof separate fluid blasts for aiding in extinguishing the are drawntherein. This interrupting head I is constructed of an insulatingmaterial and provided with a plurality of coaxially arranged nozzles 2,3, and 4, which are spaced from one another. Arranged within andnormally closing the coaxially arranged nozzles 2, 3, and 4 are therelatively movable conducting members or rod contacts 5 and I which,

when the circuit breaker is closed as is indicated in Fig. l of thedrawing, are in engagement with cne another to carry the current flowingthrough the circuit breaker. At least one of the rod contacts 5 or 'Imust be movable in order to produce the relative separation therebetweenfor circuitinterrupting purposes.

In the specific arrangement disclosed in the drawing, however, both ofthe rod contacts 5 and I are movable, similar to the arrangementdisclosed in Fig. 2 of the above-mentioned Biermanns patent. To thisend, movable rod contact 5 is mounted within an interrupting head 5which may be similar to interrupting head I in certain respects.Interrupting head I3 is mounted in axial alignment with interruptinghead I so that proper engagement of rod contacts 5 and I will result.Relative movement of contact rods 5 and "I may be obtained by anysuitable means, well known to those skilled in the art, and, in view ofthe fact that a source of fluid for areextinguishing purposes isrequired, preferably such movement may best be obtained by anarrangement such as that disclosed in the abovementioned Biermannspatent utilizing the fluid under pressure for causing such relativemovement. Accordingly, in Fig. 2, a fluid motor I2 is provided formoving rod contact 5 and a similar arrangement may also be provided forcausing movement of rod contact I.

The nozzle or orifice 2 of interrupting head I is controlled by rodcontact 5 of interrupting head 5 while the nozzle or orifices 3 and 4are controlled by rod contact I. The nozzle or orifices 3 and 4discharge in opposite directions into the opening 3 in interrupting headI while the nozzle 2 discharges into the space between interruptingheads I and 6.

As shown in Fig. 2, fluid under pressure from a source not shown issupplied to interrupting heads I and 6 through a branched conduit I3 andcontrol valve I4 and this fluid under pressure enters the interruptinghead I. at 9 so as to be available at the nozzle or orifice 4. In orderthat this fluid may also be supplied to the orifices 2 and a channel It]is provided in interrupting head I which connects the source of fluidunder pressure with the chamber II from which the orifices 2 and 3 leadto the exterior of interrupting head I. The fluid under pressure frombranched conduit I3 for interrupting head 6 enters the passageway 9'thereof and is available at the orifice 6. The flow of fluid in bothinterrupting heads I and 6 is indicated by the arrows on the drawing.

It will be observed that actually four nozzles re provided for the arcdrawn between rod contacts and 1, namely, 2, 3, 4, and 6'. Upon relativeseparation of contact rods 5 and 1 due to simultaneous retraction ofboth contacts in response to a supply of fluid under pressure inpassageways 9 and 9 from branched conduit l3, the are drawn between thecontacts will be subjected to simultaneous blasts of fluid from orifices2 and 3 as the contact rods 5 and I are withdrawn therefrom.Subsequently, the orifice 6 will come into play as rod contact 5 iswithdrawn therefrom and thereafter nozzle or orifice 4 becomes eifectiveas rod contact 1 is retracted still farther. By this arrangement, theare drawn between rod contacts 5 and I is subjected to four separatearc-extinguishing blasts, two of which occur simultaneously as orifices2 and 3 are opened and the other two occur successively thereafter.Furthermore, at the most, only two supporting insulators are required toobtain such an arrangement with a considerable saving in both space andcost and, as shown in Fig. 2, the interrupting heads I and 6 arepreferably mounted on a single forked insulator to obtain a stillfurther saving in both cost and space.

Although, when my invention is actually embodied in a circuit breaker, adisconnecting switch for insulating purposes would be required as wellas certain refinements; since they form no part of the presentinvention, they have been omitted both from the description and drawingin order to simplify the disclosure.

It should be understood that my invention is not limited to the specificdetails of construction and arrangement herein illustrated and thatchanges and modifications may occur to one skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention and I aim in theappended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

I claim:

1. In an electric circuit breaker of the fiuidblast type comprising apair of relatively movable contacts separable to draw an arctherebetween, an interrupting head for said contacts, means including aplurality of orifices in said interrupting head so constructed andarranged as to .be rendered effective simultaneously to emit a pluralityof simultaneous blasts of fluid to engage said are at spaced pointsthereon to extinguish the same, and an additional orifice subsequentlyrendered effective to emit an additional blast of fluid for engagingsaid arc.

2. In an electric circuit breaker of the fluidblast type comprising apair of relatively movable contacts separable to draw an arctherebetween, a pair of interrupting heads for said contacts, aplurality of orifices in one of said interrupting heads, means forcausing movement of one of said contacts to render certain of saidorifices efiective to permit a blast of fluid to engage said arc forextinguishing purposes, and means associated with said-otherinterrupting head and including said other contact for controlling theoperation of another of said plurality of orifices.

3. In an electric circuit interrupter of the fluidblast type comprisinga pair of relatively movable contacts separable to draw an arctherebetween, a pair of interrupting heads for said contacts, a

. chamber in one of said interrupting heads, a plurality of orificesconnected with said chamber, means for causing movement of one of saidcontacts to render one of said orifices effective to permit a blast offiuid to engage said are for extinguishing purposes, and meansassociated with said other interrupting head and including said othercontact for controlling the operation of another of said orificesconnected with said chamber.

4. In an electric circuit breaker of the fiuidblast type comprising apair of relatively movable contacts separable to draw an arctherebetween, a pair of interrupting heads for said contacts, aplurality of coaxially arranged orifices in one of said interruptingheads, means for causing movement of one of said contacts to rendercertain of said orifices effective to permit a blast of fluid to engagesaid are for extinguishing purposes, and means associated with saidother interrupting head and including said other contact for controllingthe operation of another of said plurality of orifices.

5. In an electric circuit breaker of the fluidblast type comprising apair of relatively movable contacts separable to draw an arctherebetween, a pair of interrupting heads for said contacts, means forsupplying fluid under pressure to said interrupting heads, a pluralityof coaxially arranged orifices in one of said interrupting heads, meansincluding said fluid under pressure for producing relative movement ofsaid contacts to render at least two of said orifices simultaneouslyefiective to produce a blast of fiuid adjacent said arc at spaced pointsthereon for extinguishing the same.

HUBERT KQRNDGRFER.

